Stepping into Range
by Oh-no-she-di'ent
Summary: Luke overhears some stuff, and he takes it upon himself to make things a little better.  LL, complete.


**Disclaimer**: _Girl-who's-still-broke-and-don't-own-shit_ say what. Uh...what???

What up, everybody? It has only been a week! This is a sickness. A sickness, I tell you! LOL. Jk. Anyway, you guys seemed to like _Patience Divine_. That was nice. It made me feel all tingly inside. Hopefully, that was the cause for the tingles. May need to look into that...hm. Aaaaaaaanyway, here's something else for you guys to read, pick apart, insult, smile at...just do whatever you feel the need to do with it. I'm okay with that. Let's see, woot else? Oh, a new character was introduced in this fic. Let's call him...um Will. It would make sense to call him that since I called him that in the story, after all. Anyway, Will wasn't on the show, but he auditioned and impressed me enough to be a part of my storyline here. He's working for free. If I'm not getting paid, then nobody is, gosh darn it! I think you guys may be familiar with Luke and Lorelai. They're back. Holding down their guest appearance roles and all lat. : ) Let's get on with the reading...

**Stepping into Range**

"You look like hell."

Lorelai focused on Luke with a fake smile. "Aw, Luke, you know just what to say to make a girl wanna climb up a mountain and fling herself off of it, don't you?"

Luke sighed. That didn't come out right at all. "Sorry, I was just saying."

"Well, it would make my day a whole lot better if you refrained from..._just_ _saying_," she said as she turned toward the shelf.

He looked at her worriedly. "What's with you?"

"Nothing," she lied. Her artificial smile grew.

"That was convincing," he mumbled sarcastically. He looked around _Doose's_. "You okay? Something happen?"

Lorelai's attention went to him, and her smile went away. "Luke, I'm standing in the middle of the store with sweat pants, a faded shirt, and no bra. My hair is uncombed, and I have on flip-flops in forty degree weather. Does it really look like I'm up for conversation right now?" She sighed exhaustedly and turned back to the shelf.

His eyes widened. "I guess it doesn't. Sorry I bothered you." He backed away as he spoke, then immediately turned to walk away, his feelings slightly bruised.

Lorelai's hand rested on a a bag of miniature snickers. She rolled her eyes. "Hey, Luke," she called. He turned back with a sigh.

"Yeah," he answered.

She didn't bother turning toward him. "I'll be in the diner later on." She paused. "I should have a very sincere apology worked up by then. Stay tuned."

He stood looking at her, several jars of mayonnaise in his hand basket. He'd run out of it in the diner. Lorelai looked over at him and smiled apologetically. "Later," she said in promise. "Okay?" She asked quietly.

Luke nodded slowly. "Sure," he replied. He turned reluctantly and went to finish up so he could get back in the diner.

Lorelai watched him walk toward checkout before she moved her eyes back to the bag of candy. She picked it up and shuffled to the freezer area where she reached inside and grabbed a container of cookie dough ice cream. She looked down at her feet as she dragged herself to the checkout. Luke had already left by the time she made it up there. She paid for her items and left the store.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Sookie pushed open the door to Luke's and walked inside. Lorelai was right behind her.

"Okay, we're in the diner," Sookie said relieved.

Lorelai smiled. "We're in the diner," she confirmed.

"And we're dressed," she said as she looked at Lorelai over her shoulder.

"It would have been one hell of a walk through Mayberry if we weren't."

Sookie laughed. "See, and we're joking. That's good," she said happily.

Lorelai chuckled. "Hey, Sook, quick question."

"Yeah?"

They made it to the stools and took a seat. Lorelai looked at her. "Is there any chance you can stop speaking to me like I have on some sort of mandatory headgear?"

"Sorry, Honey." Sookie giggled. "But you're doing better. I just want to acknowledge that."

Lorelai released a breath and looked around for Luke. "Well, it's been officially acknowledged. Can we talk normally now?"

"Whatever you want," Sookie said.

It was nine fifteen in the evening. About seven hours after her last outing to _Doose's_. Lorelai had showered and changed into something more presentable, and her hair now sat in a low ponytail. She'd been home the entire day. Sulking. She'd called in to work that morning so she could spend the day doing just that...and eating junk food. She ran out of food early, so she had to brave the town to go pick up more.

When Sookie showed up around nine at her house, she was ready to go get real food at _Luke's_. She had, after all, promised she would.

And she was feeling better. Somewhat.

"Where is Luke?" Lorelai asked as she tried to look into the back. Sookie shrugged. She got up off of her stool and went around back to pour Lorelai a large mug of coffee. She sat it in front of her, then proceeded to give her some pie. She felt extremely comfortable in and around the kitchen. Anyone's kitchen.

"So Babe, how are you holding up?" Sookie asked.

"I'm not holding up. I'm holding out. Luck. I'll be doing a lot better when I go to my doctor, and she tells me what I need to hear."

Sookie slid the pie to her and placed the top back on the pie plate. "Have you taken any more tests?"

Lorelai grabbed her fork and stabbed at her pie. "Nope, just the one. Just the, hopefully, _very_ untrue one."

"I'm sure it's going to be fine. I mean, you said that you did everything you were supposed to do."

"Oh, yeah, it was Fort Knox, Baby. It always is."

Sookie reclaimed her seat. "So try not to obsess about it. I'm sure it was just a false positive. Have you talked to Will?"

Lorelai scoffed. "No. And right now, I have no desire to. He's the reason I'm in this mess." Lorelai laughed briefly at her own words. Of course, she knew she couldn't blame him. It took two. She laid her fork down and took a sip of coffee. "Besides, he's visiting his brother in Ohio so we haven't spoken much. He'll be back tomorrow."

"Are you going to say something to him?"

She shook her head. "Not unless the doctor confirms. I don't want to cause any unnecessary freak outs. I think I'm doing enough of that for the both of us."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Sookie agreed. Lorelai nodded. She wanted nothing more than to not think about her situation for a while, but that was not happening.

She looked up again and frowned. "Where the hell is Luke?" She asked. "Goodness, I hope he wasn't abducted. That would suck." She ate a large bite of her pie and moaned with appreciation. She swallowed and threw her head back as she prepared her voice. "Luuuuke!" Lorelai drug out loudly.

"Be right down!" Luke yelled from upstairs.

Lorelai looked at Sookie with a smile. "He'll be right down," she relayed.

Sookie laughed. "Yeah, I think I heard that somewhere."

Luke quickly stuffed the day's tender into the money bag and placed it in his open safe in his apartment. The diner had been empty for a half hour before he went up, so he figured it would stay that way. He didn't, however, see any problems with having to serve another customer for the night. The customer who was, on many nights, the last out. He hurried along so that he could meet Lorelai down there.

Heading toward the door, he exited and left it ajar as he went down the stairs. He didn't try to descend quietly, but as he neared the bottom, he realized that his normal clamorous entry must have been absent. He stopped at hearing Lorelai's voice. Mainly at hearing one word.

"...pregnant."

"Well, think of how great the first one turned out." Sookie said this.

Lorelai smiled. "Can't argue with that." She paused. "But babies are hard work. Especially unplanned babies. I'm just really trying to wrap my head around it, Sook." She paused. "Pregnant," she said as if testing the sound. She shook her head. "My stomach lurches every time it rolls off of my tongue."

"Babies _are_ hard work. _I _know that," Sookie said with a giggle. "But--"

Luke's eyes quickly scanned the narrow stairwell. He couldn't continue to just stand there and eavesdrop. It wasn't right. He turned and moved back up the stairway. Stopping at the middle step, he clasped his hands audibly and cleared his throat as he loudly clunked down the stairs. He got to the bottom and slapped the top of the doorway with his hand, creating more noise as he entered the diner.

"Hey," he said casually to them both. They had stopped talking, and they each tossed him a wave.

"Finally remembered you're still on the clock, huh?" Lorelai asked as she took another bite of her pie.

Luke opened his mouth to answer, then suddenly, his eyes fell to her almost empty mug and her pie that she was eating. He frowned, then rolled his eyes in a dismissive fashion. He knew it'd be a waste of energy to get upset with her. "Next time, wait until you're served. Don't do it yourself."

She took another bite, not bothering to look at him. "I _didn't _do it myself."

Luke's eyes went to Sookie as she sat beside Lorelai. "Well, the same thing goes for you," he said.

Sookie nodded tiredly like it was an old song and dance. "Yeah, yeah."

Luke looked down in front of Sookie, noticing she didn't have anything there. "You want something?" He asked.

"Yeah, a glass of cranberry juice and a grilled cheese sandwich." Luke nodded and looked to Lorelai.

Lorelai nodded. "That actually sounds pretty good. Make that two. Replace the juice with more coffee, though," she said holding up her mug. Luke took it from her. "Oh, yeah, and if you could throw a burger in that grilled cheese that would be great."

She started smiling at her own comment, and Luke looked at her. Seemed to study her. His face appeared expressionless.

_'She was pregnant? Wow.'_

"Luke?" Lorelai asked to get his attention.

Luke's eyes dropped and he turned to get her coffee. "Yeah," he answered casually.

She started to ask why he had been looking at her so intently, but then she remembered how short she had been with him in the store earlier that day. She definitely felt as if she owed him an apology, and she figured he felt the same. Hence, the penetrating look.

As he set a full mug of coffee in front of her, she placed her fingers along the rim. "Luke, I really want to apologize for how I spoke to you in the market earlier. I didn't mean it, and--"

Luke waved his hand. "Lorelai, don't worry about it. It was nothing," he said seriously. Hearing her and Sookie talk, he realized that Lorelai's appearance and behavior in _Doose's _was completely justified. She had much more on her mind, and he could wholeheartedly understand why babysitting his feelings wasn't one of her priorities. She owed him no apology at all, he felt.

"Well, I still want to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that," she said with a soft regard. Luke smiled. She did too, taking that as his way of forgiveness. She picked up her mug and took a small sip. Immediately, she frowned and set it back down. "Ugh, what the--is this decaf?"

Luke's hands went inside his back pockets. "No," he answered looking down.

Sookie laughed. She had never seen someone so horrible at stretching the truth. "You suck at lying, Luke," she said aloud.

Luke's eyes went to Sookie, and he narrowed them. She quieted, still looking at him in amusement. "Luke, haven't you realized by now that you _can not _fool me when it comes to coffee? I never took you as a slow learner," Lorelai said. She pushed her mug away. "Exchange, please."

Luke walked away and came back with Sookie's juice. He gave it to her and turned to leave again so he could start preparing their meals.

Lorelai called him before he went into the kitchen. "Wait, coffee first," she said pointing to her mug.

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, uh, let me go and get your food really quick, though. I'll be right out." He disappeared before she could get another word in.

Lorelai's eyes narrowed in confusion. She quickly shrugged and looked at Sookie. "Strange?"

"Very strange," Sookie replied. Sookie took a quick drink from her own cup before she hopped up from her stool. She went around the counter and poured Lorelai another cup of regular coffee as if she were getting paid to do it. She calmly left the area and took her seat once again. "Is there any part of you that sees this as a good thing?" She whispered, regarding Lorelai's _potential_ pregnancy. She didn't want Luke to overhear anything now that he was downstairs.

Lorelai drank from the _good _mug. She looked up to make sure Luke wasn't back yet. And she whispered an answer back to her. "Not right now, Sook. I want another kid...eventually. But not right now." She frowned, then smiled. "And not with Will," she said as if the reason were clear.

Sookie nodded. "Yeah. He's a little immature."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "He's definitely MrRight _Now_."

Luke came back out. "Okay, you guys' food should be ready in a few minutes. I thi--" He stopped mid-sentence and looked at Lorelai's full mug of coffee on the counter that he'd given her and then at the mug that she was lifting to her lips. He sighed and shook his head at Sookie before he went over and placed his hands lightly around hers as she held the mug. She paused, just shy of taking another sip.

"What?" She asked with wide eyes. She began to lower the mug, and Luke took the opportunity to gently take it from her.

Both Sookie and Lorelai's eyes were on him, awaiting some sort of explanation for his actions. Luke's eyes rested on the cup's content. _'Explanation time. Think. Think.'_ He couldn't say how coffee wasn't good for women who were expecting. They'd know he was listening to their conversation. _'Think, Danes.'_

"Um...the coffee's bad for...uh..." He cleared his throat. "...The coffee's bad," he said more resolutely. It's old. The beans are old. You couldn't tell? I shouldn't have even been serving it, but I...must have forgotten." _'Suck at lying, my ass,' _he thought.

Lorelai looked at him for a second before breaking out in a smile. "Well, that's okay," she said reaching for the mug. "It's still good to me."

His mouth opened as Lorelai took her mug back. _'Think. Think.'_ "But..." He swallowed.

Lorelai lifted the mug. "Don't worry about it, Luke. We're friends, so if something happens, I promise I won't even sue you for that much." She winked at him as she took a large sip.

He stared at her. He looked at Sookie for a moment, then his eyes moved back to Lorelai. Her eyes went to his, and her expression turned to one of concern. For him. "Are you okay?" His eyes fell to the top of her stomach, the only part visible over the counter, and then he looked down into her mug.

He took a deep breath as he looked away. "Yeah, I'm okay. Let me go get your food," he said looking quickly from her to Sookie. He went into the back once again.

Lorelai turned to Sookie. "What in the world is wrong with him?" She asked.

Sookie waved after him. "Who cares? He's Luke. He's weird."

Lorelai looked off toward the kitchen silently. She hoped he was okay. He never happily served her coffee, but he had never been so adamant in keeping it from her. She looked into her mug. Maybe there _was _something wrong with it. She dismissed the notion quickly. If there really was a serious health risk, he would have done anything in his power to not let her consume anymore of it. She took another sip and set the mug down as she waited for Luke to round the corner with her dinner.

A few minutes later, he did. He set the plates in front of them, then stepped back.

He watched Lorelai for a few seconds. She was focused on her food. _'Pregnant.'_

He cleared his throat, and she looked up at him. "So, this guy...Will. He's still around?" He asked casually.

Lorelai smiled, angled her head curiously. "Yeah."

He wanted to make sure that whoever was responsible for her situation was _being_ responsible _toward _her situation. Will would stop in the diner sometimes and grab a bite to eat. Sometimes with Lorelai. Sometimes by himself or with a buddy. He hadn't seen him in a couple of weeks, so he assumed that he was out of town. Either that or out of the picture. Lorelai's answer confirmed the first.

He nodded. Bit his lip thoughtfully.

"Why?" Lorelai asked as she leaned on her elbows. Sookie's ears perked up as well. This should be good. She wondered if he was finally about to let it be known that he wanted to be Will's replacement. It was great entertainment for her. Watching Luke talk to Lorelai normally like he didn't want her. It was _always_ so comical.

Luke rolled his eyes at Sookie's goofy grin.

"I was just asking," he told Lorelai. "I'm glad he is," he added casually, almost feeling the desire to yell those words at Sookie. He knew what she was thinking by his question. She was about as transparent as Reynold's wrap.

He made sure they had everything they needed before he headed into the back to begin his clean-up for the night.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"I'm starving, man."

Will entered the diner. Tall. Brown hair. Green eyes. Lean. Barely thirty.

A man entered behind him, and slapped him on the shoulder as he responded to his statement. "Well, that's why we're here. Let's eat."

They both went to the center table and took a seat as they looked toward Luke. They needed menus. Luke looked up at them, then handed Lane two menus as she rounded the counter with another customer's lemonade. "Give them these, will ya," he said motioning toward them.

She gave the lady her drink, then went over to them. After taking both their drink and lunch orders, she went back around the counter to get their beverages. Luke stood behind the counter, configuring some numbers by the register. Lane came back out and gave them each their drinks. She offered a cheery_ 'you're welcome' _in response to their gratitude before leaving them to their conversation.

"So, how's your brother doing in Cincinatti?" The friend asked.

"He's good," Will replied with a nod. "Him and the family. They're all good."

"That's good. What's he on, like kid number_ three_?" The friend asked as if the number were in the double digits.

Will shook his head. "Four. He just had Izzy. She's beautiful, too." He smiled proudly at the thought of his niece. "He's got three daughters now, so him and little Timothy better start creating a defense _now_ with all of those women in the house." He and the friend laughed.

Luke smiled, still looking at his receipts. He could easily hear their conversation even though he made no effort to do so. He was happy to know that Will was family oriented.

"Is he still into those video games?"

"Oh, yeah," Will answered with a huge nod. "He put my collection to shame. Shit, I didn't even know the new Madden was out yet, but he had it. I think I wore down his controller while I was there." They laughed again.

"I knew it was out, but I hadn't had a chance to pick it up yet," said the friend.

"Don't worry about it. I got it before I came home. You can come over tonight, and we can play."

"Bet. Hey, Carol doesn't mind that he still plays those games? I figure once I really get serious about a girl, I'll have to cool it with the games. That's why I'm not getting serious anytime soon," he said as he slapped five with Will.

Will smiled. "No, she's cool with it. They have a pretty good thing going over there."

"That's good. That's the kind of lady I want." He took a drink and smiled. "Or one like you have." He grunted in admiration. "Because you know that Lorelai--"

"Watch it, man," Will said with a wide smile. "That's my lady. Tread lightly."

Luke smiled. _'Good answer, William.' _He didn't know what would have _accidentally _gone flying over there had they rudely placed Lorelai up for discussion. Luke turned toward the kitchen as Caesar called for him. "What?" He asked. He sighed and set his pen down. He went into the back at Caesar's request.

A few minutes later, he re-entered the diner, mumbling about Caesar's inability to tell rare from medium rare. He picked his pen back up, Will and friend's conversation once again flowing into his air space.

"...for that. I'm not ready."

"Why not?" asked the friend. "You seem to care for Lorelai."

"So? Caring for someone and having a baby with them is totally different." He drank from his glass. "I'm not ready to be a father, so I'm not_ going _to be father. End of story."

Luke's jaw clenched tightly as he continued trying to concentrate. Caesar called his name again. "What?!" He asked loudly. Caesar feebly called for his presence once again, and Luke angrily set his pen down and went into the kitchen. The anger had nothing to do with Caesar.

The friend and Will continued to converse.

"So, what will you do if Lorelai comes up pregnant?"

"That's not gonna happen."

"It might."

He chuckled. "It better not. Hell, I strap up every time to make sure that it won't. I'm telling you, man, I'm not ready for that step."

The friend shook his head.

Will suddenly snapped his fingers. "Oh, damn, I can't play tonight. I have to meet Lorelai for dinner. We haven't had a chance to talk since I left a few weeks ago."

Laughter came from his friend. "Maybe she'll have news for you. News you won't..._expect_," he teased. "Get it? Cause she may be _expecting_.."

Will sighed and shook his head. "Don't play like that. That's not funny. We just haven't had a chance to see each other in a while, so it's just us catching up."

Luke came back out and breathed deeply. Today just wasn't his day. He looked over at Will's table and his jaw clenched again at he looked at Will. _'Where did Lorelai find that jackass?'_ He wondered. In less than twenty-four hours, Luke had overheard two pieces of news. One, Lorelai was pregnant. And two, the little punk who got her pregnant didn't even plan to be there for his kid.

He couldn't do anything about Lorelai being pregnant, but as he looked to Will, he realized he could possibly change one thing. Will's mind.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

As soon as Lorelai stepped foot out of the doctor's office, she hit her speed dial for Sookie.

"Hello," Sookie answered.

Lorelai jumped up briefly. "It was a false alarm, Sookie. I'm not pregnant," she said quickly in excitement.

Sookie's hand went to her chest. "Oh, thank God!" she said relieved. "He definitely answers prayers, doesn't he?"

Lorelai nodded eagerly on her end. "And anyone that doesn't think so, I'll kick their _ass_!" She said excitedly. "Man, I am so not having sex for like a year."

"Really?" Sookie asked with doubt.

Lorelai paused. "Well, not...exactly a year. Let's start small. A day." She laughed as she repeated, "I am so not having sex for like _a day_."

"And you'll be lucky if you make that."

"Thanks, Sookie," Lorelai said sarcastically as she laughed.

Sookie giggled. "So, are you on your way to work?"

"I'll be there in a little bit, Honey."

"Okay, see you soon, then."

"Bye."

Lorelai flipped her phone shut and _literally _skipped to her car.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Luke sat in his truck in front of the movie theatre in Woodbridge.

He wasn't sure if Will would be going into work, especially if he had just gotten back in town, but when he had pulled up to the theatre, he saw his classic Thunderbird out front. Lorelai had mentioned that he managed the theatre. According to her, he had worked his way up from ticket taker, and was no where near where he planned to be in the next few years.

He looked down to his watch, seeing that he had about forty-five minutes to get back to the diner. It was a little after six. He sighed, briefly thinking about just going inside to speak to the guy. He dismissed the thought instantly. He couldn't do this around others. It would be tactless. He slid in his seat and continued to wait. It'd only been ten minutes. He internally commended himself for ruling out a career in law enforcement. He supposed he had too little patience to make it through a stake-out.

Just as he started to tap the steering wheel with impatience, he saw Will emerge from the building. A frown appeared on Luke's lips. What Lorelai saw in those pretty boys, he would never understand. He opened his door and stepped outside.

Will pulled out his keys and started to open his car door, but upon tossing a glance in Luke's direction, he did a double take and smiled with familiarity. "Hey," he said as he waved at him. He noticed him walking over toward him, so he flipped his keys over in his palm and leaned against his car. "Hey," he said again once he was closer. "What are you doing over this way, man?" They hardly ever spoke. He knew him as the owner of the diner he frequented whenever he was over in Stars Hollow for various reasons.

Luke stopped when he was within talking distance. He sighed. "Just over here handling some business," he said with a nod.

Will's eyebrows rose. Uncomfortable pause. "Oh." He smiled and stood up from his car. "Well, I guess I'll see you around, then. Enjoy the movie," he said, assuming that's why he was there.

Luke held out a hand. "Wait. I, uh, actually want to talk to you if you have a minute."

Will looked around unsurely. "Sure." They didn't know one another at all. What on earth could he want to talk about? He leaned back on his car. "Shoot."

Luke breathed deep, and he started nervously. "Hey, can you, uh, not say anything until I finish saying what I have to say?" He asked.

Will looked to him strangely. Nodding slowly, he answered, "Uh...sure." It sounded more like a question.

Luke nodded. "Good. Okay, here's the thing. You're dating Lorelai. So, I assume you know that she has a kid, right?" Will looked off to the side and looked back at Luke before he nodded dumbly. Of course he knew that.

"Okay, good," Luke continued. "She's seventeen. She's a great kid, and I don't know how much Lorelai has told you, but she raised Rory by herself. You can probably tell from looking at her, but she was kind of young when she had Rory. And she raised her by herself from a young age and she's done a fantastic job. But the thing is, she didn't have a choice. Rory's father left her to go live his own life while Lorelai did everything alone. Things he should have been there doing and helping with. I have no respect at all for him or any guy like him. He's a punk. Plain and simple. No matter how young he was, he should have been there taking care of his responsibility as a man." He paused. Breathed. He had a point.

"He regrets it now. He pops up once and a while trying to make up for lost time. There's lots of men popping up years after the fact trying to make up for lost time. But you can't make up for years of not being there. It's impossible. I don't know what you're planning to do. I don't know what you've told Lorelai, and I don't know how much of this you're going to listen to. I know Lorelai is strong. I know that she doesn't need help from anyone, and I have lots of respect for her for that. But right now, this isn't about her." He paused. "Well, it is a little bit," he recanted. "But my point is when Lorelai has this baby, it's going to be worth it to stick around. If you miss this kid's life, even part of it, you're going to regret it. I can only imagine how Rory's spineless father feels now that he has had time to process his choices. Just talk to him and you'll know. He missed out on a lot of details. He had to get filled in. You should never be in a position to have to get _filled in _on your kid's life. You should be there everyday living it with them. Even if you're not ready to step up, it's _time_ to step up and be a dad to your kid. To Lorelai's kid. I'm not gonna stand by and watch her be two for two on this. She doesn't deserve that." He took a second to let his words sink in. "Think about what you do before you do it."

Will stood speechless. _'Lorelai...pregnant?'_ His mouth formed a small 'O' as he worked to get out a _'what'_? '_When, where' _and _'why me'_? Followed close behind.

Luke's eyes shifted around the ground as he tried to see if he had left out anything. Finally feeling that everything that needed to be said had been said, he looked back into Will's face. He looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

Luke rolled his eyes and looked away. _'Punk.' _The guy disgusted him. He could see the fear in his eyes about having to stick around. He wondered briefly if Lorelai had even told him she was pregnant. And he flinched, realizing that if she hadn't, he had just spilled the beans for her. Oops.

He swallowed and looked back to the petrified sperm donor. Well, it was too late to do anything about it now. He knew he had messed up. The more he looked at Will's wide eyes, the greater the possibility became that he hadn't been told anything. And the beans were all over the floor.

But he meant what he said. He figured he had done enough damage, so he turned, leaving Will standing there shell-shocked.

He climbed into his jeep, wondering how he could even _begin _to apologize to Lorelai when she came looking for him.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai opened the door quickly, one of her earrings in her hand. She looked wide-eyed at Will.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong?" She asked worriedly, responding to his frantic knock.

He moved past her inside of the house. "Yes," he said biting the nail on his thumb.

Lorelai closed the door and turned to him. "What is it?" She asked quickly as she moved closer to him. Rory wasn't home, so someone coming to the door with potential bad news made her mind race to her daughter.

He dropped his hand and looked at her stomach for a moment before speaking. "You're pregnant?" He asked. Lorelai's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"Wh--how did you...?" Her confusion grew as she wondered how he could have found out about her pregnancy scare. It was obvious, though that he hadn't gotten the full version. She closed her eyes, speaking calmly. "Will, I'm--"

"I'm not ready for this. You know I'm not ready for this. We talked about this," he said sternly.

Hold up.

Lorelai exhaled. She focused on his words. "Honey, when you have sex you're kind of taking the risk of pregnancy no matter what contraceptives you use. If you're _ready_ for sex, you should be _ready_ for the consequences of it," she said in annoyance. She could understand him being frantic. Hell, she'd been there too. But he sounded like he was _blaming_ her for getting pregnant. Although, she knew she wasn't pregnant, that took a temporary backseat to responding to his ignorance.

He sighed heavily. "I know that." Luke's words replayed in his head. _'Step up'. _He most certainly was not ready to _step up _to anything. "So...you're gonna keep it?" He asked quietly.

Lorelai turned her head as she looked at him in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

His eyes shifted. "Do you still have time to..."

Lorelai folded her arms. "Do I still have time to what?" She asked calmly.

He paused. "...to have an abortion." Problem. Solution. No room for emotions. She just stared at him. He went on after she said nothing. "I mean, I get a vote too...so I think you should have one."

"I would never do that. And I most certainly would never stand here and let you dictate to me what to do with my body. You really have some nerve."

He closed his eyes. "I'm not telling you what to do. I'm just giving my opinion," he stated on the brink of catching an attitude.

"And I'm not telling you to get the hell out of my house. I'm just telling you that I don't want you in it." She stepped to the side of the door.

He dropped his chin to his chest and moved slowly toward the door. Lorelai watched him with a look of anger as he walked in front of her. She had never had such a great desire to reach out and touch somebody.

She grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open. "And FYI," she said trying to catch his gaze; he looked up at her. "...I'm not pregnant. Never was."

A look of relief crossed his features as a loving look returned to his eye. "What?" He asked softly. "But Luke said that--"

"Please leave," Lorelai said quietly.

He backed up over the threshold only to have the door slam in his face.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai knew that if she never saw Will again, it would be too soon.

After she heard the sound of his engine fade into the distance, she sat on her couch and did a few slow breathing exercises. Her anger required a few seconds. A few serious seconds of her mind's time.

_'I can't believe that spineless jerk would say some shit like that to me.'_ Breathe in. Breathe out.

_'What would I have done if I actually had to carry a baby who he was the father of?'_ Breathe in, in, in. Breathe out.

_'It's okay. It's over. He's gone. Learn from your mistakes.'_ Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. _'It's okay.'_ Inhale. Exhale. _'It's...' _Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. _'...okay.' _Exhale.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room. She briefly considered her earlier words to Sookie. Going a year without sex was not seeming like such a bad idea as she sat there. She wouldn't be having anymore sex with Will, and she had very little desire to get back on the dating scene. That stupid scene is where she'd met Will's inconsiderate ass.

She looked down into her hand as she still clutched her earring. She'd been preparing for her dinner date with Will before he showed up. She moved her hand to her ear and slowly slid the earring through her lobe. Her mind wandered to Luke.

Will had mentioned him when trying to explain why he thought she was pregnant. She knew there was very little chance that he would have anything to do with it, and she figured that Will had been mistaking. She moved toward the staircase to go put on some more comfortable clothes. She knew there was only one way to find out for sure.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Luke had closed the diner early. At eight-thirty, everyone was cleared out and he had cleaned and shut off all lights in the diner. He knew it was a matter of time before Lorelai came by. He sat downstairs. His back was pressed below the window sill to the right of the door. He had been standing at the door looking out into the square in anticipation of her arrival, but at fifteen past nine, he had just sat on the floor. His forearms rested on his knees as he looked at the far wall. Lights from outside beamed brightly into the diner.

Lorelai approached the diner and saw all of the lights out and the sign displaying CLOSED. She looked at her watch and grew confused when she saw that it was almost an hour before closing time. She reached out and tried the knob anyway. It was unlocked, and she paused before pushing open the door. She stepped inside. "Luke?" She called quietly.

"Right here," he said softly so as not to startle her. She jumped slightly and looked down to him as he sat on the floor. She came inside and closed the door.

"Why are you sitting there like that?"

She started to flip the lights. "Wait, hold on," Luke said before she could. He sat up a bit. "I have to talk to you. I think it'd be better if I--"

"Wasn't able to see my face?" She finished with inflection. "Jeez, Luke, if you're gonna stroke a girl's ego, use at least a _little bit _of lubrication," she added playfully. She brought her hand away from the light.

Luke's hand went to his cap as he sighed tiredly. "Can you sit for second?" He asked as he pointed briefly at a chair. He waited for her to take a seat so he could get up and join her, but she crossed over him and sat on the floor next to him. She sat facing him as she crossed her legs indian style. She sighed.

"What do you do you have to talk to me about?" She asked. She didn't appear to be upset. _'Maybe she had already told Will about the pregnancy,'_ Luke thought.

His eyes went from her face to her stomach before going back to her face. "Maybe you'll be more comfortable in a chair." He prepared himself to stand as he held out a hand to her. He waited for her to take it so he could help her to her feet.

Lorelai looked down to his hand and smiled. She lightly slapped her palm inside of his before bringing her other hand around his. "No, I'm good," she replied. "Thanks, though." She held his hand a second longer before releasing it. Luke looked down to the floor a moment. He supposed that being on the floor wouldn't do any damage to her state.

Settling back on the wall, he raised his knees once again and looked at her. "How are you doing?" He asked her with a serious expression.

"I'm doing okay," she answered as she stared into his face. "How about you?"

"I'm good," he replied dismissively.

Lorelai nodded.

Luke's jaw tightened. "Have you spoken to Will?" He asked.

Lorelai nodded, watching him for any signs that would give her insight. "Yep. A little while ago. He came over." Her voice fell flat. "Left."

"For good?" He asked, reading her tone.

"With any luck."

His jaw clenched repeatedly before he lowered his gaze. "Asshole," he whispered inaudibly.

"What?" Lorelai asked leaning in.

He shook his head. "Nothing." It wasn't surprising to him. He figured that the guy would take off. His face had displayed nothing but fear. But still, he had held out luck that he was wrong. For Lorelai's sake...for the baby's sake. He looked over at her. "Are you mad at me?"

Lorelai's eyes narrowed. "Why would I be mad at you?"

Okay, so she wasn't mad apparently. Good.

He patted the floor beside himself, requesting her to scoot closer. She placed her hands on the floor and slid her body over as she lifted her knees beside his. "You're acting a little strange, Luke," she replied as she looked up at him. "What's up?"

Luke sighed and glanced at her before leaning his head back on the window sill. "You know I care about you, don't you?" He asked quietly.

Lorelai looked at him fully. Her eyes stared into the side of his. She'd never heard him speak that way to her. They were friends, so of course that meant they liked one another enough to keep that friendship going, but that was pretty much the extent. His words definitely made her take notice.

"I c-care about you too," she said just as quietly. Her eyes went to his neck as she saw him swallow.

There was a long pause, and Lorelai watched as he gently bit his lip in thought. Her left hand came up and went to his right knee with hesitance. He waited a few seconds, then looked over into her face, finding her smiling softly.

"What's this about, Luke?" She whispered. She recognized the feeling of butterflies in her stomach.

His eyes moved to her hand on his knee, and he slowly lifted it and gently massaged her hand in his.

Lorelai gasped lightly. The butterflies seemed to evolve into something with much more fluttering capabilities. Her gaze went from their hands to his face.

"Lorelai, I know we're friends. We've been friends for as long as I can remember, and I know over the years you've heard me say some things to you about family. Kids. I have my doubts about being a father, but one thing I've always known is if I ever created a child, I'd care for that child." He looked into her eyes for a moment and his hand disappeared on his side. "I know things with Rory was hard when you had to do it alone."

Lorelai silently acknowledged that he may very well have told Will about her being pregnant. He obviously thought that it was true. Why else would he be circling the topic of child raising? She continued to listen to him, though, her mind trying to focus on more than the electrical sparks vibrating her skin.

"I don't think that you should have to go through this alone. Not as a single mother." Both his hands surrounded her left hand again, and his hands moved about her skin, seeming to be restless. Her eyes remained on his. "If Will isn't going to do the right thing and take care of his kid, then there are people who will gladly do you the honor of stepping in." He placed her hand back on his knee and took his hands away. His eyes were locked to hers.

Silence filled the air.

Luke's eyes dropped to her hand, then went back to her eyes. Lorelai didn't look away. He repeated the motion with his eyes, looking longer at her hand, causing her to finally look down.

She gasped. Her breathing came to a halt. She lifted her hand and looked back into his face with wide eyes. Slowly bringing her right hand to her left, she placed her shaky fingers over the rock that sat on her ring finger.

She started to breathe quietly. With much concentration.

"Luke?" She whispered this, her eyes filling with water.

Luke swallowed. "Lorelai, will you marry me?"

Lorelai looked at him, her mouth opening more with each passing second. Finally dropping her eyes, she shut them tightly. _'Time to wake up. Time to wake up.'_ She opened her eyes slowly, finding herself still looking down at linoleum. She was still on the floor of the diner, Luke beside her. She closed her eyes again. Tighter this time. _'Wake the hell up!' _She internally screamed.

Luke's hand went to her thigh. It definitely wasn't a dream.

"It's okay. You don't have to answer me right away. Take some time to think about it."

Lorelai focused on him once again. He looked back at her anxiously.

She moved her lips, but upon realizing that no words were coming out, she cleared her throat and tried again. "Lu--Luke, you...want to marry me?" She asked quietly. _'We've never even been on a date', _she thought. _'Hell, we've never acknowledged any feelings outside of friendship.'_

This decision had come quickly for him. "Yeah, if you'll have me."

Lorelai looked at the rock on her finger. Three carats, easy. Platinum Cathedral band. Bless the man who sculpted it. She balled her fingers into a fist and brought her hand to her chest as she looked back up at him. She smiled at him sadly. She couldn't marry him. Of course she couldn't marry him.

"Luke, I ca--." She swallowed her rising tears. "God, you're amazing," she whispered. She shook her head as she closed her eyes. "But I can't marry you," she said as she looked back at him. He blinked nervously. It surprised her at how much she wanted to say yes. The level of emotion that she was feeling toward him placed the word right on the tip of her tongue.

She was being proposed to by a man that she had never even kissed. By Luke. And if common sense had not factored itself in, her answer would have been yes. Boy, was that a picture worth examining.

"W-why?" He asked softly. His eyes showed worry, nervousness, and of course rejection. But his question was asked with so much understanding and patience. Lorelai found herself staring at his lips, even after he asked the question.

She brought her knees down and turned to face him. "I'm not pregnant, Luke." She didn't know if Sookie had let it slip to him or if he overheard something or...maybe he had an overly sensitive intuition, but she added, "It was a false alarm."

His eyes narrowed as he tried hard to remember what he had overheard.

"You're no--" His face showed confusion.

Lorelai smiled. "Not pregnant," she finished for him.

His eyes dropped to her stomach and stayed there as his thoughts swam. "Oh," he said quietly.

Lorelai closed her eyes, a tiny smile decorating her lips. "I can't believe you." She looked up at him and sat shaking her head slowly as she stared into his lowered eyes. "I can't believe you would do that for me." He had done a lot of things, helped her in more ways that she could ever remember, but this definitely took the cake.

He met her eyes, and he seemed too nervous to hold contact. "Yeah, well...I didn't want...your kid to not have a...father."

Lorelai looked to him seriously. She suddenly could not, for the life of her, remember why they were only friends.

"What would you have done if I had said yes?"

He shrugged slowly. "I would have married you."

Lorelai looked back down to the diamond. "Wow," she said quietly. She tossed him a glance before she slowly slid the ring up her finger.

Luke had done it for the sake of the baby_. And_ Lorelai, in the sense that he didn't want her to have it hard just because she picked a dick for an impregnator. He cared for her too much. Suddenly remembering his earlier thought, he said quickly, "We wouldn't have had to...consummate anything...or anything like that." He knew that marrying someone and not having sex was just a tiny bit unorthodox, but sex wasn't something that he would have been expecting. He didn't see it as a package deal, a way to finally be with her.

Lorelai reached the ring to him. He held his hand out, and she laid her hand inside his, the ring in between their palms. He looked up at her to find her already gazing at him. "There definitely would have been consummation, Luke," she finally said. She smiled as he blushed and looked away. She pulled lightly on his hand until he looked back at her. "If I had anything to say about it, there would have been a _huge _consummation," she added.

Luke was beet red. Lorelai chuckled. She could see him changing shades. She moved onto her knees and leaned her body close to him as she slowly looped one arm at a time around his neck. She closed her eyes as she felt his hands press into her lower back before sliding around her waist. She moved her hand to his hat and slid it off of his head as it seemed to get in the way. Tossing it to the floor next to them, she tightened her arms and buried her face in his neck.

Luke began to loosen his arms, so Lorelai did the same. She moved her face in front of his and almost kissed his cheek. Almost. As soon as her eyes landed on his face, though, she saw his lips slightly parted and without a forethought, moved in and kissed him, immediately sliding her tongue between his lips. She wanted to kiss him. And she was going to fight it. She really was. But she saw an opening, and control leapt out of her hands. She was kissing him before he processed what had happened.

Finally catching up, he put one hand on her cheek and helped her to match his slower pace. It only took a second. They kissed one another deeply. Lorelai's hand moved on top of his as it rested on her cheek. She slid it from her cheek, down her jaw, neck, over her collarbone. She dropped her hand as she let him take it from there.

His hand grazed the side of her breast and slid to her waist. Lorelai pulled back, looked at his lips through dark eyes as Luke took the intiative and leaned on the floor, pulling her on top of his body. They resumed kissing. His knees sat apart, Lorelai in between them slowly sliding her body up and down his as she kissed him through her heavy breathing.

She began to feel him rise. Luke brought his knees down, and Lorelai moved to straddle him.

She reached a hand underneath her to the bulge in his pants. "Mm, big boy," she whispered as she slowly undid his pants. Luke leaned upward and connected his lips to hers again. He broke it and moved his head until he caught a light that would allow him to see her eyes.

"You sure you want to do this?" He asked breathily. He didn't know how sensitive she still was about her near pregnancy. He could understand if she wanted to take some time away from any physical acts.

Her hand stopped movement below, and she looked down into his face as she brought both hands to the floor around him. "Yeah. I want to do this with you," she answered as her breathing slowed. Her pelvis still slowly rocked against his. "Can't you tell?" She asked quietly with a growing smile.

That was all the confirmation he needed. His hands gripped her hips as he subtley pushed himself back at her. He watched her bite her lip, and he almost lost the ability to think. "You have anything?" He asked, almost kicking himself at how cliche he sounded.

Lorelai smiled as if reading his mind. She reached for her purse and took out a condom. She'd snagged a few from the doctor's office and stuck them in there. She'd also picked some up a box on the way home. She held it up to him before leaning down and kissing him deeply. She pulled away and put her hands on his chest. "Here?" She asked as she began to undo the buttons on his shirt.

Luke looked down to her hands. It seemed as if she'd already made up her mind. He smiled and looked over his head, then back at her. "Lock the door," he said nervously.

Lorelai laughed before quickly leaning up to do just that.

Settling herself back onto him, she put her hands back to work. She hoped he could handle her because she had a lot of feelings that begged to be released.

Luke, as he lay beneath her, hoped for the same.

Unbeknownst to them both, they were on the exact same page.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Luke placed a hand flat against the side of the door as his other wrapped around Lorelai's waist. She nearly knocked him off balance with the intensity at which she'd locked her lips to his. She moaned as her fingers squeezed at his lower back. Finally, she pulled away and looked down at him in his jeans. That's all he wore.

"So not fair. Why do you get to be half naked?"

Luke laughed. "Because I live in the building. You're the one that has to leave. Otherwise, you could be just as, if not more naked than me. Feel free to catch up."

He placed his lips on her neck and started to kiss softly.

"Luke." Lorelai swallowed, her eyes sliding shut.

"Hm."

"If I...promise..." Damn. "...to bring them back...safe and sound..." He continued to stimulate the skin of her neck. "...can I just...borrow your...lips for the evening?" Luke laughed, then went back to his task. Lorelai smiled. Then, she moaned. "...and your tongue..." She continued. "...god that feels amazing..." She swallowed again. "Well, while I'm asking for stuff..." Her hand went to the front of his jeans. "...pack him up too."

Luke laughed again, this time pulling away. "Who do you think I am, Mr. Potato Head? Parts sold separately?"

"A girl can dream, can't she?"

He smiled as he pulled her to him, slipping his hands underneath her coat. "You had a good time?" He asked. He rolled his eyes at himself as soon as the words left his mouth.

Lorelai laughed. Her hands perused his exposed skin. "Oh, you _know _I had a good time," she said with a telling grin. "You had a good time?" She asked the question mockingly, barely pronouncing each word.

He followed her in laughter. "You bet I did," he finally answered as he looked at her intensely.

"I aim to please," she said proudly.

Luke smiled. "So do I." He paused. Smiled wider as he looked upward. "_Over _and _over _and _over _and--"

"Stop that," she said, playfully hitting his shoulder.

He shook his head. He couldn't really pull off the cockiness thing. "I'm joking," he said as he softly kissed her lips.

He pulled away and Lorelai leaned back in and gave him an even softer, longer kiss. The man's lips were a gift from the big man, Himself. She pulled back after several seconds and looked into his eyes. Her hand moved to his chest and she ran her hand through his chest hair. "Luke, where did you, um...get an engagement ring?"

He sighed. "It was my mother's ring."

Her eyes shifted. "And you were going to give that to me?"

"Well, I always figured I'd give it to the woman who'd carry my last name...or in your case, a hyphenated version of my name. I figure that'd be the most I could hope for."

Lorelai smiled. "That's sweet." She paused. "I still can't get over how you were willing to..." She shook her head in disbelief.

"It's no big deal, Lorelai."

Lorelai focused on him. Just the fact that he would think that made her want to dissolve into a hopeless puddle right before his eyes. "Yes, it is," she said simply. Especially after the insensitivity that she had to suffer through with the man who should have been offering. She sighed. "Well, please take the ring upstairs or back to the safe deposit box," she said as she looked at him intently, "and don't take it out unless it's for someone who really deserves it."

He didn't miss a beat. "I already did that. She said no." He smiled widely and dropped his head. Lorelai said nothing. She followed his eyes. He looked back at her and shrugged. "I'll give her some time and try again, I guess." He sounded like he was discussing a ballgame or something. Was he joking?

He finally stopped moving his eyes and met Lorelai's. He was still smiling as if he hadn't more or less just said he was going to propose marriage to her. Again.

"Lorelai?" He said her name quietly as she silently looked at him, her expression one of surprise.

She blinked slowly, then dropped her head before looking back to him. "What, yeah?" She asked, getting her frozen thoughts moving again.

"Are you okay? I didn't mean to...scare you or make you think I was trying--"

"No, you didn't," she answered honestly. She was shocked. But far from scared.

He looked at her sideways with feigned suspicion causing her to smile fully. "I'm really okay, Luke." She kissed him. "Let me get going," she whispered before giving him a longer kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She regretted being unable to spend the night with him.

She started to disengage from him, but Luke leaned in with another kiss, close to her ear. He kissed her lobe, then whispered into her ear before pressing his lips to her temple and pulling away.

Lorelai sought his eyes immediately. And she smiled upon meeting those bright irises.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he finally responded.

Lorelai's hand went to his face as she softly drug her hand down his cheek before turning to leave.

She stepped outside and walked to the edge of the street before scanning the empty area. She took a breath and looked down at her empty ring finger. Luke's words reverberated in her head.

_'It was a perfect fit.'_

She touched the finger, remembering that exact thought going through her head when she had first looked at the ring. She knew Luke hadn't had it sized.

Yet, it _was _a perfect fit.

Coincidence?

Maybe it was. And maybe...just maybe...it was that four-letter word that some people believed in. And others didn't.

Lorelai smiled as she dropped her hand in her coat pocket and started for home.

**-The End-**

Hehehe! Me liked this. Let's see if you all did...

And just so there's no confusion: For the readers who...uh...think a little slower than others...that four letter word is: fate. ;-)


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